Syrian war increasingly drawing in Lebanon

ASSOCIATED PRESS

April 24, 2013 12:01 AM

Lebanese Sunni Muslim men queue as they register their names for jihad in Syria, at a mosque in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, April 23, 2013. Lebanese Sunni Muslim clerics Ahmad Al-Assir and Sheikh Salem al-Rafie called late Monday for jihad in Syria to protect Sunnis in villages under attack by Syrian troops and pro-government Shiite gunmen. Lebanon and Syria share a complex web of political and sectarian ties and rivalries which are easily enflamed. Lebanon, a country plagued by decades of strife, has been on edge since the uprising in Syria against President Bashar Assad began in March 2011, with deadly clashes between pro and anti- Assad Lebanese groups erupting on several occasions. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)AP

ASSOCIATED PRESS

April 24, 2013 12:01 AM

Kerry gives warning

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking in Brussels, urged NATO to prepare for the possible use of chemical weapons by Syria and called for alliance members to boost aid to the Syrian opposition. NATO member Turkey borders Syria and would be most at risk from attacks. NATO has deployed Patriot missiles in Turkey.

SOURCE: Associated Press

BEIRUT -- As fighting rages just across the border, Lebanese are giving signs of joining the battle on rival sides of Syria's civil war -- Sunnis on the side of the rebels, Shiites on the side of the regime -- raising fears that Lebanon and its volatile sectarian divisions will be dragged into the conflict.

Two influential Lebanese Sunni clerics this week called on members of their community to wage "holy war" in Syria to defend their brethren. They accused Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah group of sending fighters to attack Syrian Sunnis.

In recent days, tensions have been fueled by heavy fighting inside Syria close to the border with Lebanon, where regime forces have made strong gains.

The Syrian military has been helped in the fight by Shiite Lebanese fighters who are supported by Hezbollah.

The powerful Lebanese militant group said it is not sending fighters but supports the so-called "popular committees" that have joined the fighting to defend their fellow Shiites in Syria.

Rockets from Syria have hit mostly Shiite areas in Lebanon on a daily basis, apparently from Syrian rebels in retaliation for Lebanese Shiite help to the regime forces.

"Lebanon is on the edge of the cliff," warned lawmaker Sami Gemayel. "We are dragging the conflict from Syria into our country. It's like the border between the two countries no longer exists," he told reporters Tuesday.

Kerry gives warning

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking in Brussels, urged NATO to prepare for the possible use of chemical weapons by Syria and called for alliance members to boost aid to the Syrian opposition. NATO member Turkey borders Syria and would be most at risk from attacks. NATO has deployed Patriot missiles in Turkey.